Score Atlanta Vol. 9 Issue 26

Time to look great!

CHECK OUT BACK PAGE! VOLUME 9 ISSUE 26

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NOVEMBER 22-28, 2013

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

FIXING THE FALCONS Happy Hawks | Pg. 4 Why watching the Hawks is so darn fun.

How our Birds can get back on their feet - and fast. | Pg. 5

Winter Sports | Pg. 8 Get caught up on the latest in prep swimming and wrestling.

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Vol. 9 Iss. 26 | November 22-28, 2013

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

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COLUMNISTS

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ON THE COVER

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INSIDE THE PREPS

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR Stephen Black

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

DIRECTOR OF SALES Melanie Snare & MARKETING

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves)

Joe Deighton (Dream) Jay Underwood (Hawks) Brian Jones (KSU) Chris Nieman (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons) Stephen Black (Tech) Chris Schutter (GSU)

STAFF WRITERS Ryan Caiafa Alex Ewalt

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Copyright 2013 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

Score Atlanta is published in print every other week on Fridays and a digital version is posted to ScoreAtl.com in-between print issues.

Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleading editorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. No content (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be used for reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

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SCORE LIST | NUMBERS GEORGIA STATE | KENNESAW STATE GEORGIA | GEORGIA TECH BRAVES | FALCONS HAWKS | SILVERBACKS

COVER DESIGN BY DJ GALBIATI BLALOCK COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ATLANTA HAWKS, BRIAN L. MORGAN AND THE ATLANTA FALCONS

ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE Score Atlanta is looking for writing interns. Please e-mail Stephen Black at sblack@scoreatl.com or call 404256-1572 for more information.

Football All-Star Games will never be the same! The Georgia Elite Junior Classic will be held at McEachern High School on Dec. 28.

STAY CONNECTED! /SCOREATLANTASPORTS @SCOREATLANTA WWW.SCOREATL.COM WWW.GAPREPNEWS.COM

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com burn receiver Ricardo Louis.

Bradley’s rankings were a classic case of licking fresh wounds; the most recent simply hurt the most. But he was no doubt correct in assigning top-two status to Georgia vs. Auburn 2013. Yes, it was brutal.

DIMON CLUB

HEARTBREAKER, BUT NOT A KILLER, FOR GEORGIA

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

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ark Bradley wrote an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution earlier this week counting down Georgia’s 10 most gut-wrenching losses since 1980. Bradley ranked last Saturday’s immaculate deflection against Auburn at No. 1, with the 2012 SEC Championship loss to Alabama coming in at No. 2.

Even with Bradley’s opening disclaimer that he was not charting “the most-meaningful-in-the-grand-scheme losses,” but instead aiming at the “visceral,” there is no way UGA’s 43-38 stunner against the Tigers tops what transpired at the Georgia Dome in 2012. The heartbreaker against ‘Bama was gut-wrenching in every sense of the word. Not only was the SEC Championship at stake, but a national title was also on the line (the Crimson Tide

went on to humiliate Notre Dame 42-14 in a game that may not have been any more competitive if the Irish had faced Georgia).

Implications aside, it’s not as if the game itself wasn’t a hard-to-fathom thriller like the one last weekend. Unlike Saturday’s loss to Auburn, in which they had to mount a furious charge just to get within fourth-quarter striking distance, the Dawgs had relative control against Alabama—leading 21-10 in the third quarter. They lost the lead, of course, and their last-second effort to regain it will not soon be forgotten. Call me crazy, but the decision to run a hurried play without spiking the ball followed by time expiring with the ball caught in Chris Conley’s hands stings a lot more than Josh Harvey Clemons’ inadvertent tip to Au-

SCHUTTER’S STANCE

THESE NEW HAWKS ARE FUN TO WATCH

BY CHRIS SCHUTTER | CSHUTTER@SCOREATL.COM

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his Hawks team is hard not to love. Whether you’re watching Pero Antic and Mike Scott volleying the orange like it’s a soccer ball during shoot-around, or if you’re looking at Elton Brand-Lou Williams interactions on twitter, it’s tough to not just love this team. The mood is noticeably different than it has been in years past.

Joe Johnson and Josh Smith were two players in particular who demanded a high-usage percentage in order to be efficient, and that can sometimes not be fun to watch. However, the team is focused around just hitting the open man and it has already paid dividends for the team.

ASSIST-MAKERS ...

The Hawks are second in the league

when it comes to assists with 25.9 per game compared to Miami’s league-best 26 assists a game. The impressive part of Atlanta’s number is that besides Jeff Teague, no one else on the team is averaging more than four assists per game. Everyone on the offense from Paul Millsap to Al Horford to Kyle Korver is willing to pass the ball if it gives their team a better chance to score. The culture Atlanta is accustomed to seeing is one in which one or two players are forced to make something happen when the team needs it. Now, with Budenholzer and the team Ferry has compiled, the NBA is getting to see unselfish basketball and how much it can benefit a team.

This has resulted in the Hawks shooting at

CLEAN OLD-FASHIONED HATE …

Is anyone else excited for the 109th installment of the Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalry?

It has no postseason implications for either team, unless you consider a possible upgrade from something like the Music City Bowl to the Gator Bowl to be important. Then again, that may not be such a terrible thing. Georgia vs.

Georgia Tech later this month will be all about bragging rights, and sometimes those mean more than anything.

The bottom line is that this game should be a great one. This had all the makings of a rout when the season started, because the Dawgs have destroyed Tech twice in a row (four straight wins overall). But that was before all the injuries and a quartet of losses. Georgia Tech got blown out by Clemson, but it has still won three of its last four games. The Jackets have scored at least 20 points in six straight, including at least 30 point in four of those six. Both offenses are talented and both defenses are borderline ter-

a higher percentage, 47.4% this year compared to 46% last year. That may not seem like much, but it comes out to about five more points per game on average. If you consider the fact that the Hawks lost 11 games last year by five points or less, these numbers should have a huge impact on improving the Hawks record. Even if they won six of those 11 it would’ve boosted them to two seed in the east instead of the six seed. That one percent is a difference that could’ve seen the Hawks hosting a Derrick Rose-less Bulls team last April instead of a hot Pacers team.

TEAGUE’S TEAM ...

Leading the way in this new culture is Jeff Teague who is fourth in the league with 8.8 assists per game. Teague is doing a great job orchestrating this offense and getting guys the ball with the best opportunity to score. He’s getting to the basket with a ridiculous hesitation move and drawing fouls that put his team in the bonus early. Last year he had 226 free throw attempts, and he should shatter that mark this year as he already has 80 free throw attempts through 11 games. The charity stripe is one of the most efficient places to shoot the ball, and Teague is making a point to get his

rible, so fans can expect to be treated to a highoctane shootout next Saturday.

GOING TO SAN FRANCISCO …

Should the Braves have re-signed Tim Hudson? The jury is still out on that question, and it will be until general manager Frank Wren does something with the money that did not go to the 38-year-old righty. A two-year, $23 million contract would not have been outrageous in the current market. By comparison, the Giants—with whom Hudson inked a deal on Monday—retained a declining Tim Lincecum for $35 million over two years. At the same time, though, it would have been by no means a steal for Atlanta. Hudson will be 40 when the deal ends, he is coming off a broken ankle and he is not a No. 1 starter (3.55 ERA the past three seasons). Wren matched the years after initially offering just one, but he did not match the dollars.

Overpriced contracts to Dan Uggla and B.J. Upton have handicapped the organization.

Now it’s time for the GM Frank Wren to make up for those, at least in part. By not paying Hudson for something he isn’t (a No. 1 starter), Wren can make a few shrewd moves to land a much-needed true ace.

Photo courtesy of Rob Saye.

team there early and often.

Another efficient area on the floor to shoot from is from three. Obviously, since you get more points from three point range it yields some of the most efficient shots to help your team win.

Kyle Korver has been doing just that as he has now hit a three pointer in 84 straight games.

That’s two games longer than an entire basketball season! This year he should set some career highs as he’s hitting threes at the best rate of his career in Atlanta. A ridiculous 50.8% of Korver’s threes are dropping which is second only to Wesley Matthew’s mark of 52% for players with 50+ three point attempts this season.

The team is easy to love, and they might be the best 6-5 team I’ve ever seen. The thing that’s really exciting about them is that they’ve only played 11 games together. If things really start clicking come the end of the season we could see this team upset a higher seeded team in the playoffs. If they start getting hot before the playoffs, I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up with the four seed and hosted a playoff series. There are good things to come from this team, and Atlanta deserves it.

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks.

Vol. 9 Iss. 26 | November 22-28, 2013 same two opponents last year as the Rams’ leading back, Jackson gained 292 rushing yards on 71 carries at 4.11 yards per carry.

“We’re not running it successfully enough to get him enough carries,” admitted offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter after the loss to Tampa Bay. “Because we’re not doing anything successfully right now and we’re getting behind on the scoreboard, [the running game] sometimes gets away from us.”

Head coach Mike Smith and the rest of the staff have accepted that there is a serious problem on the offensive line and they are actively working to improve it for the rest of the season and beyond. Protecting Ryan has been a challenge, but a productive running game would alleviate the constant bombardment on the Falcons’ vulnerable backfield.

ON THE COVER

FIXING THE FALCONS

HOW THE FALCONS CAN REBOUND FROM A DOWN YEAR

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

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hird-down defense, continuity on the offensive line and overall depth are the main setbacks ailing the struggling Falcons this season, and all three areas will need to see considerable improvements to get them back to a winning record in 2014.

The Falcons have made quick turnarounds before and we should believe they are capable of the same feat this offseason with all the pieces already in place. Think back to 2007, when the franchise appeared to be years away from achieving relevancy. The franchise quarterback was sentenced to prison and was out of football just as the head coach resigned following a 34-14 loss to New Orleans on Monday Night Football midway through the season.

Within several months, Matt Ryan had already given the franchise a facelift as the No. 3 pick in the draft and he proved his worth by leading the team to four playoff appearances in his first five seasons. General manager Thomas Dimitroff focused on acquiring the best available weapons to build around his maturing passer.

Ryan and his playmakers thrived, but that success came with price tags and consequences.

Depth would thin out across the roster as contracts grew and the offensive line digressed significantly. Ryan has his weapons for the future and the backups have gained plenty of experience during this injury-plagued season.

Atlanta’s next step will be patching up the positions it needs along the way.

RUN DOWN …

Defenses exposed the Falcons’ inability to run the football in 2012 and Atlanta turned to powerful free-agent running back Steven Jackson this offseason as the remedy. Jackson is a big ball-carrier at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds and his build requires big holes and open space to operate with success. Atlanta’s outmatched line is not creating those. Jackson ran for just six yards on 11 attempts against Arizona and managed only 11 yards on nine carries in a recent loss to Seattle (17 yards on 20 carries, or 0.85 yards per carry). While rushing against these

INTERIOR LINE …

While desperately searching for answers against Tampa Bay, the coaching staff moved center Peter Konz to right guard and started guard Joe Hawley at center. After three sacks given up the middle to Buccaneers’ defense tackle Gerald McCoy, Konz was benched and Haley was moved to guard. While the coaching staff uses this opportunity to uncover strengths and weaknesses of each player to build the best available lineup each week, one solid anchor added this offseason to build around would bolster the entire line. An offense can scheme around a weak point and play to its strengths. The staff has plenty of games left to continue this evaluation.

The Atlanta defense had an uphill battle in front of it even before this season. The belief stood that the high-powered Falcons’ offense would have enough firepower to carry the youth and inexperience of the defense. In 2012, the defense allowed opponents to a 40.19 percent success rate on third downs, good enough for 25th in the NFL. The team lost depth at linebacker in the offseason when it opened training camp with just five backers on the roster and did not add to the pass rush to compliment free-agent Osi Umenyiora after releasing John Abraham. In the Falcons’ secondary were two rookies, cornerback Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford, asked to come in and make an immediate impact.

This year, the defense is giving up first

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downs on third-down plays at an insurmountable 45.86 percent rate, which puts the Falcons at 31st in the league. Atlanta has also committed 71 defensive penalties this season, seventh most in the NFL, and has surrendered first downs on seven of 10 fourth-down attempts.

Poor pass rush and tackling are the causes for this steep drop-off. While Umenyiora has found success with a team-high 6.5 sacks through 10 games, a second pass rusher has been absent. As Umenyiora continues making his home on Atlanta’s defensive line chemistry will improve, but adding another primary pass rusher this offseason is the most important area to help take pressure off the secondary.

At defensive back, Asante Samuel is the most experienced cornerback on the team, having started just one season for the Falcons.

Samuel wears the pedigree of a Super Bowl champion and can be a leader in the secondary. The two rookies were thrown into the fire this season and had to learn on their own as Samuel sat most of the preseason and early part of the year with injuries and could not participate in drills with the young guns.

Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon struggled against Tampa Bay in his first game back from his foot injury, but he brings an identity to the defensive side of the football for Atlanta. Undrafted rookies Paul Worrilow and Joplo Bartu were bargain signees at linebacker this offseason and exactly the type of young talent that is needed for depth and a solid corps. With a couple more capable linebackers added this offseason, it looks like this could be a position the defense builds around.

OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH …

This season has been disappointing, but the rest of the year against a difficult slate of opponents will build toughness and motivation for a team, quarterback and head coach that have never dealt with this type of adversity. The draft and free-agent period will be a great time to bring in change and there is an opportunity for this team to get better across the board from now until next season as playoff hopes exit the conversation. The intensity should crank up because Atlanta’s 2014 offseason has already begun.

Photos courtesy of Jimmy Cribb/Atlanta Falcons.

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Tech Hoops

Aaron Murray

Playoff Football

Three games do not a season make, but they do make for a good start when all three result in wins. That is the case for Georgia Tech, which took care of Georgia 80-71 last Friday in Athens. A lack of consistent point-guard play has plagued the Jackets in the past, but they are getting it so far this year from Trae Golden.

Murray’s gutsy five-yard touchdown run on fourth down that gave his team the lead over Auburn with 1:49 remaining last Saturday would have gone down in Georgia lore. The Bulldogs ended up losing, but it was no fault of Murray’s. The senior quarterback also passed for 415 yards and two scores and rushed for an additional touchdown earlier in the game.

If last Friday was any indication, the next month of high school football leading to the state championships should be a fun ride. From Peachtree Ridge’s Jordan Ellis setting a school record with six touchdowns to Lovejoy’s lastsecond Hail Mary, the action was electric across the state.

It should continue with Round 2 on Friday.

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

RISE NEEDED

The Falcons played the Saints on Thursday and results were not available before this went to print. But the four games before they played the Saints were rough to say the least, as Atlanta lost by at least two scores in each of them. With the playoffs out of reach, the Falcons are playing for pride. Let’s hope they can get something going before the season ends.

AUBURN HANGOVER

After losing to Auburn on a miracle and nearly impossible play, the Bulldogs will look to bounce back with a win against Kentucky on Saturday night. The Auburn loss will hang over the Bulldogs’ heads, but with this game being on senior night, I’m sure the Bulldogs will have a strong performance against the struggling Kentucky squad. I think Bulldogs win 41-20.

BYE HUDDY

Tim Hudson is no longer an Atlanta Brave as he agreed to pitch for the San Francisco Giants. As much as I love Hudson, it was the right move for both parties. The Braves need a No. 1 starter and Hudson is no longer that guy. But we all wish Huddy the best of luck on the west coast and we’ll see him real soon.

FIRST FOE

The KSU football program has found its first opponent for the inaugural season in 2015. The Owls will travel to Johnson City, Tenn. to face East Tennessee State. This will be a very big game for both schools because ETSU is bringing back its program after suspending operations following the 2013. All I can say is I can’t wait for 2015 to get here to see KSU make history again.

SECOND ROUND

It’s on to the second round of the high school football playoffs and the competition is starting to heat up.

One matchup to watch is Colquitt County traveling to Acworth to face North Cobb. Another great matchup is Hillgrove going to Kingsland to face Camden County.

Make sure to go to scoreatl.com for the latest scores from all the playoff games this weekend.

WHO’S NOT

By Ricky Dimon

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Atlanta Falcons

Gut-wrenching Losses

Tim Hudson Leaving

Just when you thought it could not get any worse, the Falcons got blown out by one of the worst teams in the NFL. The 1-8 Bucs hammered Atlanta 41-28 last Sunday in a game that was nowhere near as close as the score suggests. On the bright side, Antone Smith had two carries for 88 yards and a touchdown.

A trend appears to have started for Georgia’s football team with last year’s SEC Championship game loss to Alabama. The losses are almost all of the hard-to-get-over variety. The Bulldogs had a comeback for the ages all but wrapped up last Saturday only be crushed by the Nick Marshall-to-Ricardo Louis miracle pass.

The Braves’ decision not to offer Hudson as much as San Francisco’s $23 million deal was not necessarily the wrong move.

But it does kind of stink that Huddy is gone. He was never a true ace for Atlanta, but he was more than solid. In nine seasons (seven full) here, he notched at least 16 wins on four occasions.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Chris Schutter

Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall.

Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

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TRIVIA QUESTION

HOW MANY CAREER WINS DOES FORMER BRAVES PITCHER TIM HUDSON HAVE, WHICH IS TIED FOR THE MLB LEAD WITH C.C. SABATHIA? ANSWER ON PAGE 14

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SANITY AT LAST

“But, you know, in the moment of truth, the ball’s coming right to you and you’re thinking about getting it. Josh is trying to defend the play. He’s looking at the ball. He’s not really sure where the safety is. He was trying to defend the play. It was just kind of a weird deal.”

Georgia coach Mark Richt on his team giving up a game-winning touchdown pass to Auburn on fourth-and-long.

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Hawks who scored in doublefigures in a 110-90 rout of the New York Knicks last Saturday

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Teams initially projected to finish ahead of the Hawks in the Eastern Conference

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Teams currently with a higher winning percentage than the Hawks in the Eastern Conference

$23M

Dollars the San Francisco Giants will pay Tim Hudson over the next two years

$300M

Contract that Jay-Z thinks his client, free agent Robinson Cano, is worth

2,500

Parking spaces the Braves will lose with their move to Cobb County

5.7

Former Hawk Josh Smith’s three-point attempts per game this season in Detroit

31.6%

Smith’s shooting percentage from three-point range in the Pistons’ past 10 games

WOLVES HOWL ...

The Wesleyan boys, who won state championships in 2010-11 and 2011-12, hosted Dunwoody in a dual meet last Friday and scored a 170-144 victory. Junior Luke Hedrick won the 100 butterfly for the Wolves and teamed up with Ben Buckley, Leo Mateu and Nathan Settlage to win the 400 freestyle relay. Buckley, a sophomore, also finished second in both the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle.

Freshman Abby Gardner continued a fast start to her career on the diving board for Wesleyan. Gardner took home top individual honors from the Marist Diving Invitational earlier this month and last Friday she won the one-meter diving competition against Dunwoody. She earned 249.95 points, while fellow

freshman Emily Christensen of the Wildcats was second with 230.40 points and Wesleyan junior Maggie Dryden came in third with 224.30 points. Overall, the Lady Wolves edged Dunwoody 162-149. Senior Carrie Ciccotello of Wesleyan triumphed in the 100 backstroke, the 100 freestyle, the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay.

The Parkview boys, who have won two consecutive state championships (Class AAAAA in 2012 and Class AAAAAA in 2013) are off to a 2-0 start for their 2013-14 campaign. Following a 191-114 win over Mill Creek on Nov. 9, the Panthers beat North Gwinnett 163-142 last Saturday. Freshman Bradley Downs starred with individual victories in the 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly while also taking part in Parkview’s 200 freestyle relay win. The North Gwinnett girls trumped Parkview 174-138. Morgan Fleming anchored victorious relay teams in the 200 freestyle and the 400 freestyle and she also won the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle to lead the Bulldogs.

TOUGH TIGERS ...

Archer’s M.J. Couzan, a senior, returns after his 58-6 record last year and Daniel and Thomas Bullard return as sophomores. The Bullard’s combined to go 112-13 last season.

Daniel wrestled at 138 pounds and Thomas won the state title at 145 pounds.

Since 2008, Collins Hill has won five traditional state titles and four duals championships. Starring for the Eagles are seniors Sean Russell and Ryan Millhof. Millhof went 69-0 last season and the two-time state champion’s only defeat to a Georgia opponent came in the state finals his freshman year. Millhof is ranked No. 1 in the country in his weight class (126).

Collins Hill will have Sean Russell, who claimed the state title last season at 106-pounds and posted a 62-2 record a year after his sophomore state championship run. With Russell and the Millhof, Collins Hill will dominate the first two weight classes this season.

In Class AAAAA, Carrollton’s defending state champion Jake Adcock transferred to Pope this offseason. Adcock got off to a great start to the season by claiming an individual title at the Trojan Invitational this weekend.

In Class AAAA, Marist junior Kenneth Brinson earned the War Eagles’ their first individual state champion since 2006 last season with his perfect 49-0 year. Brinson placed second at 195 pounds his freshman season and is the favorite to repeat this season.

Buford’s Chip Ness continues one of the more dominant careers the state will see. Ness is a 3-time state champion and holds a 135-1 all-time record.

Photos courtesy of Brian L. Morgan and Sonny Kennedy.

Class AAAAA

Class AAA

Class A-Private

PREP SPORTS

RAIDERS SWEEP COBB; GRAPPLERS PREPARE FOR SEASON

BY RICKY DIMON AND CRAIG SAGER II

he Walton girls 2013-14 swimming and divT ing season got off to a strong start as the Raiders prevailed at the Cobb Relays Saturday

at Mountain View Aquatic Center. Walton edged runner-up Lassiter by eight points, 128120, while Kennesaw Mountain finished third with 90 points. Senior Kira de Bruyn, a Georgia Tech signee, anchored three victorious relay teams for the Raiders (200-yard backstroke, 400 medley and 200 butterfly).

Walton’s boys made it a clean sweep of the proceedings, amassing an impressive 288 points. Lassiter came in second with 236 points and Kennesaw Mountain was third with 208. The Raiders won seven of eight events, in part thanks to Nick Froemming. The sophomore paced Walton to four of its relay wins— in the 200 medley, the 400 medley, the 200 backstroke and the 200 freestyle.

Score Atlanta Football Rankings PRE-PLAYOFFS

1..............................Tucker 2.................................. Kell 3...................... Gainesville 4........................Creekside 5................Warner Robins

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAA

1...............Camden County 2..........................Norcross 3................Colquitt County 4................North Gwinnett 5....................... Collins Hill

1....................Sandy Creek 2.............................. Griffin 3................... Monroe Area 4........................ Carrollton 5.............................. Marist

6..........................Hillgrove 7............................Lovejoy 8............................. Archer 9...................... North Cobb 10.........................Marietta

6.................Northside-WR 7.. Thomas County Central 8................North Paulding 9....................Ware County 10................Harris County

1............................. Buford 2.........Washington County 3......................Cartersville 4...........Carver-Columbus 5..........................Callaway

6................Appling County 7...................Elbert County 8.......Woodward Academy 9..................... Hart County 10...................... North Hall

Class AA 6.................. Burke County 7.....................Stockbridge 8.......................Statesboro 9................. Wayne County 10................Mary Persons

1...............................Lovett 2..................Lamar County 3..................................GAC 4........................... Calhoun 5........Washington-Wilkes

1................................ ELCA 2........................... Aquinas 3..................Mount Pisgah 4.................Prince AveChr. 5....................Mount Paran

6.....................Calvary Day 7...........Christian Heritage 8................ Landmark Chr. 9....................... Darlington 10.............Holy Innocents’

Class A-Public 6.................Brooks County 7.....................Benedictine 8.........................Jefferson 9.................. Heard County 10........................... Vidalia

1.............Seminole County 2....................Irwin County 3..................Clinch County 4.................Marion County 5.............. Johnson County

6...................Dooly County 7.............. Charlton County 8................... Hawkinsville 9.......................Commerce 10............. Mitchell County

Score Atlanta/AJC Wrestling Rankings Class AAAAAA 1............................. Archer 2....................... Collins Hill 3...............Camden County 4............................Roswell 5................North Gwinnett

Class AAA

6....... Kennesaw Mountain 7.............................Etowah 8.........................Cherokee 9..........................Lowndes 10....................... Parkview

6... Woodland-Cartersville 7......................Logansville 8.......................Starr’s Mill 9....................... Apalachee 10...................Union Grove

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1.........................Jefferson 2............................Bremen 3..................................GAC 4...............................Lovett 5....................Social Circle

6........... Heritage-Catoosa 7...................Locust Grove 8.........Southeast Whitfield 9............. South Effingham 10.........................Eastside

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1......................Gordon Lee 2.......................Commerce 3.............. Mt. Zion-Carroll 4...............Holy Innocents’ 5............. Athens Christian

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6................Toombs County 7........................ Fitzgerald 8...................East Laurens 9....................... Monticello 10.........................Spencer

Class A

Class AAAA 1..............................Gilmer 2........................Alexander 3........................ Carrollton 4.............................. Marist 5..................West Laurens custom

6......................Sonoraville 7.........................Rockmart 8.............. Jackson County 9.............................McNair 10.................Elbert County

Class AA

Class AAAAA 1................................ Pope 2....................Ware County 3......................Whitewater 4................................... Ola 5.......................Creekview

1.......Woodward Academy 2..................Banks County 3............................. Buford 4................Oconee County 5................Morgan County

6...... George Walton Acad.

7....................... Darlington 8....................Irwin County 9................................ ELCA 10...Strong Rock Christian

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

DAWGS BID FAREWELL TO MURRAY SATURDAY

BY CHRIS NIEMAN | CNIEMAN@SCOREATL.COM

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he Georgia Bulldogs (6-4, 4-3) return to Sanford Stadium to face the Kentucky Wildcats (2-8, 0-6) on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the season finale between the hedges. It is the first night game of the season for the Bulldogs, who are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Auburn Tigers in a thriller last weekend.

Georgia has dominated the series against Kentucky 52-12-2 and is aiming for its fourth consecutive win in games between the two SEC East rivals.

The Wildcats may be having a rough season, but they are certainly not a team to sleep on. Last season the Dawgs and Cats went down to the wire with Georgia coming out on top 29-24 in Lexington. If the Bulldogs, who are favored by 23.5 points, suffer a loss to the Wildcats, it would be the first time since 2006 that they have lost to both Kentucky and Vanderbilt in the same season. That year, the Dawgs lost both games by a combined six points (24-22 to Vanderbilt and 24-20 to

Kentucky).

Saturday features a matchup between two former Florida State coordinators. Georgia head coach Mark Richt worked under Bobby Bowden as the Seminoles’ offensive coordinator from 1990-2000. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops, brother of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, was the defensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher from 2010-2012.

“I don’t know him well,” Richt said of Stoops. “I’ve gotten to meet him just at some of the official events that we’re at, but I really don’t know him well. He seems like a great guy and I know he’s a great coach.”

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SENIORS …

In their final game at Sanford Stadium, seniors such as Aaron Murray and Garrison Smith will be embracing the moment like never before.

Murray has been one of the more decorated quarterbacks in UGA history, let alone SEC history, with his school records and conference records. He recently locked up another SEC mark in total completions (903) at Auburn.

Smith has been one of the leaders on the defense in 2013 and he expressed what Saturday may feel like to him in his last game wearing the “G” in Athens.

“I will definitely feel [the emotions] but I’m going to try not to,” Smith explained. “It’s definitely going to be emotional because it’s your last game, but it’s not really a sad feeling.

It’s just your next step in life. You’re moving onto your next place.”

FACING THE FLYERS ...

Tech played Dayton Wednesday night at

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35-21. Some costly turnovers for both teams kept the score from reaching ludicrous numbers, but Georgia State could not get the ball to bounce in its favor. The Ragin Cajuns made an important defensive stop when the Panthers went for it on fourth-and-three in the red zone late in the game, but Georgia State could not answer with a defensive stop of its own. The Panthers travel to Jonesboro, Ark., on Saturday to face against Arkansas State. They are still trying to get their first win of the season.

The last home game of 2013 is Nov. 30 against South Alabama.

STILL WINLESS …

Georgia State’s football team lost in a shootout to Louisiana-Lafayette last Saturday,

HARDWOOD SETBACKS …

The Panthers’ basketball team travelled to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the NIT Season Tipoff last Tuesday and fell to Alabama 78-58. Senior Rashaad Richardson was the scoring leader for the Panthers with 16 points. The only other Panther in double-figures was redshirt senior Manny Atkins, who had 14 points in the contest. The story of the game was rebounding, as Georgia State was out-rebounded 40-24.

The women’s team fell to UCF in its home opener, 85-77. The Panthers had a 12-point lead at halftime, but they could not capitalize on their opportunity. Like the men’s team, a key to the loss was being out rebounded as UCF held a 51-40 rebound advantage over the Panthers.

If these teams want to turn things around, they will have to get it done on the boards.

GEORGIA STATE

VOLLEYBALL TEAM’S SEASON ENDS

BY CHRIS SCHUTTER | CSCHUTTER@SCOREATL.COM

he Panthers’ volleyball team saw its season come to a close with a 3-1 loss to South Alabama last Sunday. South Alabama will travel to Troy to play in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, but Georgia State will not. Senior Emily Averbeck had 16 digs in the match, bringing her season total to 581. Averbeck is the Georgia State record-holder for digs in a season and career digs (1,673). Although the Panthers had a disappointing year, they saw some bright spots from sophomores Dede Bohanan and Eliza Zachar—who combined for 24 kills against USA. Sophomores Natalia Nieto and Gabby Serafin combined for 37 assists and 26 digs on the night. This Panthers team will return all but one player next season and has high hopes to improve its record from this year.

GEORGIA TECH

HOOPS TEAM WINS IN ATHENS, STARTS 3-0

BY STEPHEN BLACK | SBLACK@SCOREATL.COM

he Ramblin’ Wreck fell to No. 8 Clemson 55-31 last Thursday in a game that hurt Tech’s hopes of winning the Coastal Division title. The Jackets are now tied in the loss column with three other ACC squads, and are one behind Duke, which is surprisingly 8-2 and 4-2 in the ACC.

The Jackets fell behind Clemson 20-0 almost immediately, then struggled to get back into the game although they did close the lead to 10 early in the second half. Tech’s defense, which had been playing well, gave up almost 400 yards passing and 168 rushing yards to the high-powered Clemson offense.

Tech (6-4, 5-3) hosts Alabama A&M Saturday for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs are located in Huntsville and are 7-4 coming into the Tech game. It will be the first meeting ever between the Jackets and a team from the SWAC.

KENNESAW STATE

FOOTBALL PROGRAM TAKING SHAPE

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

he football program has made a lot of T strides since February. It has found a coach, found a stadium, found a conference and found

a helmet.

Last Thursday, the Owls found their first opponent for the 2015 season. They will travel to Johnson City, Tenn. to face East Tennessee State on Thursday, Sept. 3.

“Today is another momentous occasion for the Kennesaw State University community and all of Owl Nation,” KSU athletic director Vaughn Williams told ksuowls.com. “We have continued to make great strides throughout the process of building a football program that will enhance the student experience and continue to build upon the sense of community that exists throughout the campus and surrounding areas.”

East Tennessee State is a program that suspended operations after the 2003 season.

The 2015 game will mark the return of football to that area for the first time in 12 years. This will be a home-and-home series, so the Owls will open the 2016 season at Fifth Third Bank Stadium against ETSU.

home, looking for its fourth consecutive win to start the 2013-2014 campaign. Current Jackets coach Brian Gregory previously coached the Flyers and was there the last time the teams played, a 63-59 Dayton win in 2009.

The Jackets’ last game was a win in Athens over in-state rival Georgia. Tech beat the Bulldogs for the third consecutive time after an 80-71 victory Friday night.

Tennessee-transfer Trae Golden leads the Jackets with a 15.3 points-per game average and has been a big part of Tech’s success thus far. The senior point guard from Powder Springs scored 19 in the win at Georgia and hit a three-pointer to culminate a key 12-2 Jackets’ run to start the second half.

Sophomore Marques Georges-Hunt is second on the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game and also averages seven rebounds.

Senior center Daniel Miller scores 11 points per game and leads Tech in boards with 8.3. Two other Jackets average more than seven boards per game - Kammeon Holsey and Robert Carter, Jr., an area in which Tech looks solid heading this season.

After the Dayton game, Tech hosts North Carolina A&T Sunday, then Mississippi Valley State Tuesday. After Thanksgiving, the Jackets head to Brooklyn for the Barclays Center Classic in which they will play Ole Miss and Penn State.

GUTSY WIN …

After a slow start to the season, the men’s basketball team was looking to get its first road win of the year on Tuesday when it faced Chattanooga. It was able to do just that, coming away with a 73-69 win. The play of the game came with 20 seconds left when Willy Kouassi came up with a dunk to break a 69-69 tie.

“This was a great team win,” Kennesaw State head coach Lewis Preston told ksuowls. com. “Every person that came in the game contributed in a positive way and this is the first time all year we’ve kept our poise, especially late in the game when they went on their run.

We held our composure and resolve and that helped us get the win on the road.”

Kouassi ended the night with six points.

Yonel Brown led the Owls with 21 points while Bernard Morena added 15. The Owls will be back in action on Sunday to face IPFW at the Convocation Center.

NEW OWLS …

The baseball team welcomed a new group of Owls on Tuesday by signing nine players for the 2015 season. Will Campbell, an outfielder from Etowah, leads the way. He was named to the Perfect Game All-America team last season and was ranked in the Top 500 nationally.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this group,” head coach Mike Sansing said.

“The kids we’re bringing in are going to meet some significant needs in our program and we’re looking forward to having them fill those voids.”

Vol. 9 Iss. 26 | November 22-28, 2013 ATLANTA HAWKS

WILLIAMS RETURN FROM ACL INJURY

BY JAY UNDERWOOD | JUNDERWOOD@SCOREATL.COM

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ouis Williams is back. After missing more than 10 months due to a torn ACL, Williams returned to the Hawks lineup last Friday against the Sixers. He tallied seven points in 16 minutes during his first game back. The Atlanta native will be eased back into the rotation, seeing his minutes rise each night based on his comfort level of his surgically-repaired knee and the coaches’ opinion of where he is in his ability. Williams will play in just one game of back-to-back sets, meaning head coach Mike Budenholzer will likely play him when he best matches up with the other teams’ reserve units.

It will be interesting to see how Williams’ return affects the guard rotation. After a strong start, rookie Dennis Schröder has regressed back to the mean while seeing his turnovers rise and his assists decrease. This has resulted in less playing time and has also coincided with the emergence of Shelvin Mack, who saw little to no action during the offset of the season

but has now become the primary backup to Jeff Teague. Against the Knicks and the Heat, respectively, Mack saw 24 and 25 minutes of action. He turned in an especially strong performance against the Knicks, recording a double-double with 12 points and 12 assists. In the long run Schröder will see more playing time, but Mack may continue to see more minutes while the rookie is still figuring out the NBA game.

GREAT SCOTT …

Another player who has emerged this season as a quality reserve is Mike Scott. The former University of Virginia standout has turned in multiple performances to spark an offense that was stalled and needed to get things going. His offensive game was never a real question mark, but he has taken it to another level while scoring in double-digits four times in 10 games. Scott may not be a stud defender, but he has not been the liability on that end of the floor that he has been in the past and he is working with the coaching staff to improve even more in that department.

The all-star ballot has been released and three Hawks are entered into the running.

Teague, Paul Millsap and Al Horford all will be vying for a chance to go to New Orleans.

Horford is the most likely to make the squad but Teague has been phenomenal this season, leading all Eastern Conference point guards in assists.

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the county are expected to pay almost half of the annual $17.9 million annual contribution to financing the ballpark.

The city of Atlanta, however, may not be quite ready to give up the fight for the Braves to remain downtown. City councilman Michael Julian Bond has sent a plea to the team, introducing a bill encouraging mayor Kasim Reed to continue talks with the Braves.

“We need to present in a public fashion that we are serious about having the Braves remain in Atlanta,” Bond told the AJC. “We can’t wait for the other team to score.”

STADIUM RUMBLINGS …

Cobb County will pay $300 million—considerably less than the original $450 million estimation—of the $672 million for the team’s new stadium, which is planned to open near Cumberland Mall in 2017. Property owners in

SPRING TRAINING …

A heartbreaking division-series loss to the Dodgers and a tumultuous offseason with the stadium news and Hudson’s departure means spring training cannot come soon enough. Good news: pitchers and catchers will report on Feb. 13 and have their first workout one day later. The first full-squad workout is set for Feb. 19.

Atlanta released its complete spring training game schedule on Tuesday. The 34-game slate begins on Feb. 26 at the Worldwide Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. for a date with the Detroit Tigers. The Braves have two scheduled outings against the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, including one at home in Disney on March 22. They will play a road game vs.

Boston in Fort Myers on March 7.

Single-game tickets for home spring training games go on sale Dec. 2 at 10 a.m.

ATLANTA BRAVES

HUDSON IS A GIANT; ATLANTA NOT GIVING UP

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

raves’ general manager Frank Wren will have to go back to the drawing board after veteran right-hander Tim Hudson signed with San Francisco Monday. Hudson, 38, spent nine seasons in Atlanta and earned at least 16 wins in four of those nine years. His tenure with the Braves effectively ended in abrupt fashion when he suffered a broken ankle on July 24.

Hudson’s deal with the Giants is for $23 million over two years. Atlanta initially offered him a one-year contract before recently adding another year. The dollars, however, did not match those of San Francisco’s proposal.

“The Braves made a really good push,” Hudson told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

“They did the best they could. Frank was great.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

ROAD WOES CONTINUE; SNELLING RETURNS

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

Atlanta’s 41-28 Week 11 loss to Tampa Bay plunged the Falcons’ road record to a dreadful 0-5 this season. Atlanta’s last road win came 11 months ago (Dec. 22) when the Falcons topped Detroit 31-18. Sunday’s loss to the Bucs also set a new mark for the longest losing streak in the Matt Ryan-Mike Smith era at four, topping the previous high of three set earlier this season (Miami, New England, New York).

In the loss to the Buccaneers, Atlanta trailed 38-6 in the third quarter before making the final score appear competitive with Harry Douglas, Antone Smith and Roddy White scoring second-half touchdowns.

SNELLING’S RETURN ...

Fullback Jason Snelling returned to practice on Monday after taking time away from the team following his arrest on Nov. 15. Snelling was hit with misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession (less than one ounce) and possession of drug paraphernalia.

With the postseason out of the equation,

GWINNETT GLADIATORS

GLADS OFF TO SLOW START

BY CHRIS SCHUTTER | CSCHUTTER@SCOREATL.COM

ockey season is back, but no one told the H Gladiators as they’re off to a slow start (510-0-0). Last Thursday and Friday they played

the Florida Everblades with two very different outcomes. Florida, which is tied for first place in the entire league, allowed five goals in a loss to the Gladiators on Thursday. Friday was a different story as Gwinnett was shut out despite 29 shots on goal.

The Gladiators could not find the back of the net last Friday as Florida goalie Kristers Gudlevskis was a brick wall all night. Gwinnett goalie Chris Rawlings was not as efficient. In his first start in almost two weeks, Rawlings was only able to stop 23 of the 26 shots he faced, giving the Everblades the 3-0 victory.

Florida won with constant traffic in the front crease for which the Gladiators just did not have an answer.

PHYSICAL PLAY …

This is a divisional rivalry between two very physical teams who don’t back down from intimidators. The Everblades drew seven pen-

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it was no surprise that Atlanta looked to veteran quarterbacks following an injury to backup Dominique Davis last Sunday. Davis’ injury was reported to be just a bruise, but Mike Kafka and Trent Edwards worked out with the team this week.

After Thursday’s matchup with the Saints, the rest of Atlanta’s schedule remains difficult.

The Falcons will visit Toronto to play the Bills and, the following Sunday, travel to Green Bay for a Sunday Night Football showcase with the Packers. Washington and Carolina are the Falcons’ two final home games, and in between home games, is a Monday Night Football matchup at San Francisco.

FAMILY TRAGEDY ...

Sean Weatherspoon’s return to the lineup last week meant that the Falcons had to make a roster cut as Spoon came off injured reserve.

Linebacker Thomas Howard was the player that was edged off the Atlanta roster and this past Monday (Nov. 18) Howard was killed in a horrific car accident. The 30-year-old was in California where it is estimated he was driving more than 100 miles-per hour. Howard rearended a big rig and his BMW flew over the divider where he crashed head on with a CRV, killing an innocent driver.

It’s crazy just to think about it,” said Falcons linebacker Akeem Dent. “Having a guy here last (week), and now he’s gone. It just puts things in prospective.”

alties in the second period alone and the Gladiators had another six. At one point, Gwinnett had a 5-on-3 advantage for nearly two minutes on which it could not convert. During that twominute period there was an almost comical number of Everblades in the box, as five Florida players tried to fit in the small penalty box.

Kyle Bonis was the difference-maker in this game, as he was able to take advantage of some sloppy play from the Gladiators. During the penalty-riddled second period, Bonis scored off a defensive-zone turnover by Justin Weller and earlier was able to tip in a Trevor Bruess one-timer from the crease.

Gwinnett is being graded on a tough curve because it is used to seeing its hockey team have success. The problem is this Gladiators team is really young (average age 23), with 11 rookies. They have had rough stretches before and still managed to make playoffs so there is no reason to throw this team under the bus and start demanding changes. There will be some growing pains with this young squad, but head coach Rick Emmett believes the Gladiators are getting better and will continue to do so throughout the season.

They showed signs of it on Tuesday, beating South Carolina—also tied atop the ECHL standings—by a score of 6-4. Gwinnett trailed 4-3 in the third period before reeling off three straight goals. Mike Embach assisted on the tying score before notching what proved to be the game-winner.

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